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Post by mikael on Nov 13, 2019 5:23:52 GMT
Ronnie as a Ferrari works driver in 1972. "What if ..." and "If only ..." may not be interesting, but still, it's tempting to speculate what Ronnie could have done in a Ferrari, if this connection had been developed into a Ferrari F1 contract. This may be a repetition from an earlier post, but I had a nice collection of Danish motor sport yearbooks (covering 1967-1981) which I, to my great regret later, sold to a second hand bookstore (some twenty years ago). I recall that, in one of them - I think the one for the '74 season - the journalist wrote (in large headline-type letters), "If Ronnie had been in a Ferrari he would have won all races". (Strange how some odd stuff stays in memory for no particular reason - but this must have impressed me, somehow.) This was just one journalists opinion, probably gathered by extrapolation from Ferrari's 1974-form together with Peterson's 1974-form, and it might have been just a dream. Perhaps Niki Lauda's input was a major factor in that Ferrari started to come good (again) in '74 ... (When reading Lauda's book "My Years with Ferrari" it seems that this was the impression Lauda himself wanted to give, at any rate) ... |
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Post by René on Nov 16, 2019 12:19:26 GMT
Ronnie as a Ferrari works driver in 1972. "What if ..." and "If only ..." may not be interesting, but still, it's tempting to speculate what Ronnie could have done in a Ferrari, if this connection had been developed into a Ferrari F1 contract. This may be a repetition from an earlier post, but I had a nice collection of Danish motor sport yearbooks (covering 1967-1981) which I, to my great regret later, sold to a second hand bookstore (some twenty years ago). I recall that, in one of them - I think the one for the '74 season - the journalist wrote (in large headline-type letters), "If Ronnie had been in a Ferrari he would have won all races". (Strange how some odd stuff stays in memory for no particular reason - but this must have impressed me, somehow.) This was just one journalists opinion, probably gathered by extrapolation from Ferrari's 1974-form together with Peterson's 1974-form, and it might have been just a dream. Perhaps Niki Lauda's input was a major factor in that Ferrari started to come good (again) in '74 ... (When reading Lauda's book "My Years with Ferrari" it seems that this was the impression Lauda himself wanted to give, at any rate) ... That is a great "What if" to muse about Mikael. Ronnie was in top form in 1973/74 and that Ferrari B3 would have suited him for sure. I do believe Niki deserves a lot of the credit for Ferrari's turnaround in competitiveness. Of course, the decision to focus solely on Formula One by leaving the sportscar championship at the end of 1973 was the foundation of the revival but Niki was an excellent test and development driver. That is well documented. Would Ronnie have challenged for the title in 1974 in a Ferrari? Absolutely. He was faster than Regazzoni who finished a close second in the championship. Ronnie probably would have been champion. Would Niki and Ronnie have been good teammates at Ferrari? On a personal level for sure, they always got along really well. But would Niki have developed into the team leader he became? Maybe having a teammate as fast as Ronnie would not have been ideal for that. But we'll never know of course. Peterson is mostly associated with Lotus but he was a Ferrari works driver for the sportscar team in the early seventies. Ronnie in the Formula One team would have been awesome. Or just imagine Ronnie and Gilles as teammates... the fastest driver line-up in history!    |
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Post by René on Nov 30, 2019 11:42:37 GMT
I came across this nice photo of the great man.  |
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Post by charleselan on Nov 30, 2019 12:02:46 GMT
I came across this nice photo of the great man. What a great portrait of the greatest. When I see this photo it reminds me that there have been many occasions that I have also seen picture portraits of Ayrton Senna and feel that they were strikingly similar looking at times, could almost pass for brothers save for the large age difference of course. |
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Post by chrisb on Dec 1, 2019 11:09:20 GMT
again Rene, that smile lightens up my face with yet another brilliant photo, thank you yet again, that one seems to really capture the essence of the man, I guess when you are that brilliant you can afford a genuine smile like that.
I had never really likened the two of them JC, but there really are elements of similarity between them, interesting, that also Ayrton was a Jim fan, not sure Jimmy would have been of some of Ayrton's `antics but suspect a quiet word would have been said, but would he have listened?
MotorSport have a very brief sort of mini-profile of the lead drivers from each post-war era, starting with someone I watched a fantastic Shell documentary about, Jean-Pierre Wimille, and wasn't he just above his competitors. I certainly think he would have been WDC in 1950 but for yet another tragedy- however, going back to Jimmy, MS sort of half-right lamented the lack of Jim's racing with big sports cars, except seems they forgot he finished 3rd at le Mans in 1960 but in another way MS are quite right and wouldn't he and Graham made the most magnificent team in a GT40 - now that would have been some victory...
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Post by mikael on Jan 13, 2020 21:47:09 GMT
Tom Belsø, 27 August 1942 – 12 January 2020.
Godspeed.
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Post by Carl on Jan 13, 2020 22:54:48 GMT
Tom Belsø, 27 August 1942 – 12 January 2020.
Godspeed.
A very talented driver deserving of greater success whose often excellent results in F5000 were unrewarded by the more competitive rides money could have provided. |
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Post by Carl on Jan 14, 2020 4:53:01 GMT
I came across this nice photo of the great man. One of the very best portraits of Jim Clark, clearly overlooking an Indy Ford V-8. |
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Post by chrisb on Jan 14, 2020 7:16:58 GMT
saddened to hear the passing of Tom, rest in peace
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Post by charleselan on Jan 14, 2020 12:46:07 GMT
It is always sad when we hear of another motor sport competitor from our past passing. Tom Belso was a fine driver who as carl points out above did not have the machinery available to him in F1 to show what he could have been capable of.
It seems an age ago (it is I suppose) when there was a wealth of Scandinavian (and South Americans) in many motor sport categories. Many brought to our attention through Formula Ford and the truly excellent Formula Three championships in the UK and Europe.
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Post by charleselan on Jan 17, 2020 17:54:19 GMT
I came across this nice photo of the great man. One of the very best portraits of Jim Clark, clearly overlooking an Indy Ford V-8. Couldn't agree more Carl, an absolutely stunning portrait. |
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Post by chrisb on Jan 18, 2020 8:20:10 GMT
hear hear re James junior, I came across an Italian tribute to Jimmy recently, most of it are repeats but there a few bits I've not seen before, wouldn't it be great if a DVD was released with all these newly discovered bits, there is a poignant 'last picture' of Jimmy that fateful day has also been discovered, in truth it makes it worse looking at that
Like in MotoGP I miss the wealth of divergence in F1, I miss the Scandinavians, the South and North Americans and the occasional French Canadian and Scot as well, always felt they brought that little bit extra colour to the world, something we could really do with
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Post by René on Feb 20, 2020 20:24:46 GMT
 Eugenio Castellotti |
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Post by mikael on May 22, 2020 10:17:05 GMT
John Surtees "in the zone".
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Post by charleselan on May 22, 2020 13:31:32 GMT
There is something iconic about those style of 1960's goggles (also worn in the 1950's by Fangio et al). I think they were actually military Tank Commander issue originally and definitely favoured by the majority of drivers in the 60's before the full face helmets came into vogue.
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